Natural Elements Horsemanship

12/10/2025

Wow! It’s been a few years. My youngest (Kendra) and I on my trusty Paint, Patch.

I bought him as a weanling (sold my motorcycle) and had him up until a few years ago. He was in his 20’s when I had to put him down.

He was the critter that first let me know…the program wasn’t working with him.
He taught me about herd dynamic, the importance of my presentation both on the ground and in the seat. I thought HE wasn’t
“getting it” when my wife pointed out it was I who wasn’t.

I was counting steps to find the right time to cue him but HE was reading
me…split seconds before hand and would be…what I thought, early. In fact, it was I who was late. I was too mechanical rather than hearing the music and doing the dance.

He and a few horses and mules have been good teachers over the years. (The stories I could tell…)Amazing how they can help us IF we listen.

12/09/2025

The “girls” went home about 10 days ago.
I didn’t work specifically in any trailer loading. They’ve not been hauled much but the ripple effect (everything you do has an effect) came into play.

Not only the crossing of the tarps and large drain pipe or other items but the daily handling builds trust and “want to” in our animals.

When we went to load, I walked up as if we’d done it a hundred times. (They reflect us, to a large degree and can sense hesitation/anxiety).

There was only a polite sniff at the back of the trailer with both Swayze and Kitty and they stepped right on. June (the white one) didn’t even sniff. She just stepped up as if it was old hat. In fact, I unloaded and reloaded just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

Ripple effect…

12/06/2025

December 6, 50°, clear sunny skies and no snow. Mo’ and I ponied out Meg through the woods and down the road. Chris and Joe were our “shadow riders” today.

12/05/2025

Quick ba****ck “button-check” on Bond. My wife’s 18 y/o Spotted Draft.

12/05/2025

Consider this.

Are You Accepting the Horse to Be a Horse?

There is a peculiar habit among humans who struggle with horses. They swear they are accepting the horse. They absolutely believe it. Yet what they are actually accepting is a fantasy creature that resembles a horse in the same way a wax fruit resembles a pear. Passable from a distance, completely wrong once you bite it.

They want a creature that floats serenely through the world, preferably carrying them, while politely ignoring the inconvenient fact that the world contains wind, unexpected noises, plastic bags, tree stumps, shadows, and gravity. They want a best friend who absorbs sadness, validates joy, and never raises their cortisol levels.

Some take it further. They want the horse to protect them. Physically, by being enormous. Mentally, by being interesting. Emotionally, by filling the void left by a lifetime of disappointing humans. They want a majestic embodiment of groundedness, a living reassurance that they are lovable, capable, and possibly even spiritually attuned.

There is only one catch. The horse cannot do any of that. Because they are, regrettably for some, a horse. An astonishing animal crafted by nature with a superior sensory system and a very clear priority list. Survival first. Everything else a distant second. They have a brilliant ability to learn, which is how we manage to ride them at all, but their core software has not been updated since the Ice Age.

That does not stop us from trying. A horse stands still while we drape ourselves over their neck and we decide it is a tender embrace. A nose brushes our cheek and we call it a kiss. We interpret behaviour with the confidence of someone reading their horoscope as scientific fact. Not because the meaning exists, but because we are very invested in finding it.

Eventually reality intervenes. The horse reacts. They move. Their back feels wobbly or their feet hurt or they simply remember that they are a horse. The fantasy shatters and people feel betrayed, as if the horse breached a contract they never signed.

The beauty, the real beauty, only appears once the fantasy dies a painless death. When we stop expecting the horse to validate our soul and start respecting the extraordinary animal actually standing in front of us. When we admire their nature instead of squeezing our own into their behaviour. When we want nothing back except the opportunity to guide them through a human world in a way that makes sense to a creature with a very different perception of the world and very fast legs.

Because accepting the horse as a horse, and earning their trust by making sense to them rather than projecting our needs onto them, is far more extraordinary than any fantasy we can dream up. And in the process something unexpected happens. You discover that nothing in you was ever missing. You were whole the entire time, simply waiting for a horse to show you that you are capable of remarkable things.

That is how a horse makes you feel free. That is when a horse teaches you about life. That is when you realise there is more available to you than you ever imagined. But first you must let go of the fantasy and allow the horse to be a horse.❤

QUESTION ➡️ Where do you think people go wrong in what they want from a horse❓

This is Collectable Advice Entry 94/365 to you to hit SAVE-SHARE and not copy and paste (as that is not cool).

12/03/2025

This video was recorded to introduce myself to our French friends before our clinic tour, earlier this year.

A brief take on MY approach incorporating myself into the herd dynamic.
Because horses and mules are social animals…our conduct matters to them.

12/02/2025

We have had requests for the full process of haltering a horse or mule that is high headed or taller. The main goal is to keep its head where your hands are without muscle tension. The process is to not just get the halter on but to come to an agreement of softness with the animal.

12/01/2025

I’ve been around horses for 55 years and mules for 20. I was in one of the big internationally known programs for several years.

I had some experiences with the animals that did not “jive” with what I was being taught. I had mechanical, conditioned-response animals who only knew me through sticks and strings and what was called language and leadership.

My experiences with two horses and two mules blew my “program mentality” out of the water. I then determined to learn directly from my interactions with and observations of the animals rather than filtered through accent or alliteration.

The content I present is derived from practical experience. I won’t make stuff up
but will try to fulfill my obligation to accurately represent the horse and mule.
Regarding them for what they are rather than passing on old adages or clever sayings that may be entertaining but are not fully accurate.

I don’t profess to have the truth but I have learned over the years, the animals have not read the same materials nor watched the same videos WE have. In my view…there has been some misrepresentation.

I am out to represent as accurately as possible, MY experience and understanding of horses and mules. That said, I’ll be sharing content on YouTube starting Dec. 3. Posting twice a week, Wednesday and Friday afternoon.

I hope you’ll take a look and join our conversation.

https://youtube.com/-zo4cw?si=-dHnU19eZOQhaTP5

11/30/2025

11/27/2025

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
A bit early but I’ll be busy in the kitchen (yes, I know my way around one) tomorrow, making a turkey and fixin’s for some friends and neighbors.

Much to be thankful for! God has blessed us in so many ways. We are rich in gratitude, family, friends and faith.
Thankful for each of you who joined us on media or in person. I pray Gods’ blessing on every one of you!